Viktor Yanukovych

"And another lie from the opposition - there is no revolution underway. And in the current conditions, it is not possible. During a revolution, a majority of citizens wants a change to the government structure. In fact, the majority of the Ukrainian people wants stability and improvement of their quality of life. It is not a revolution, it is political technology [abetted] by the uniformed special services, which is essentially being openly admitted by the organisers of the street protests."

"And today I am summoning for talks, just like we did during our [electoral campaign - note] debate, that miscreant Leopold the Cat - Yushchenko. (in fact, Leopold was the protagonist of that cartoon; the mice were the mischiefs)"

"(About his opponents) I believe that there are many more strong and healthy people than these assholes who are constantly troubling our lives!"

"I don't believe the exit polls. This is some new modern technology that will be rolled out in Ukraine for the first time. And we don't know yet how to manipulate it."

"(Speaking of the Orange Revolution) What is happening in our country is a slow-motion coup d'état."

"Veteran: What is the reason you've declared that Russian would become an official language in Ukraine? The native nation here is the Ukrainians. Language, in its turn, is the principal characteristic of a nation. If the language disappears - so does the nation... I wouldn't want the Ukrainian language to disappear!"

"The people who've spent the New Year's Eve without electricity or heat, they couldn't have called anyone: not the Cabinet of Ministers, nor the Secretariat of the President, nor their municipal utility; the bureaucrats were hanging out and drinking alcohol."

"I would like you to remember this: the moment I saw the Constitution, of an unknown authorship, I immediately said: "This is going to violate the rights of the people in Ukraine, the infringement of the rights of the people...""

"(Speaking of the failed talks to purchase gas in Russia, which he said was Ukraine's fault) The government has decided to up and throw us into such a conflict without understanding the consequences. Who is going to bear responsibility for that?"

"(On live TV) I will very briefly say to the residents of... Chernihiv... (prompted) Kirovohrad region... that this Sunday there will be a festival of machine assemblyers... or will it be on Sunday?"

"But, as they say, whether [you take] a bull or a billie, you have no milk; but a bull is still a bull - it's strength after all."

"I am an industrialist; for 20 years I was working as a leader of various companies. And more than ten years have passed since I became a bureaucrat and, I'd like to say, I, uh, (from the crowd: have got to their swamp?) no, no, I'm in deep shit. [...] This is why I can't stand lies."

"I am sure... I don't remember who said that "beauty would always win"? Who said these words? (Yanukovych misquoted Dostoyevsky's Idiot; the original was: "beauty will save the world")"

"You know, Odessa is a genuine paradise for talents. Dozens of famous, popular and simply wondeful people were able to develop their talents in the city by the blue-blue sea. I would want to say a few words about them right now - for example, Anna Akhmetova, a poet... Yanukovych meant Anna Akhmatova; Rinat Akhmetov is an oligarch who was then a member of Yanukovych's party"

"In response to the opposition's calls to fire some of his ministers I've recalled, you know, the film called The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed. Have you heard, how was he...? How was he called? Vysotsky!.. (prompted) Zheglov! Yeah. As he said: "You'll only get a bagel of a bublik, not Sharapov..." Or how did it go? "Hole of a bublik"! That's right. We understand these are only dirty political games."

"If to cast aside spread by our opponents' nonsense, I’ll use chess-players phrase: we have sacrificed quantity to quality and showed such respect to our partners and readiness to properly account for their interests which others neither could or wished to reveal. (Speech by Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych at the International conference "Ukraine and European Union: new approaches") (28 February 2007)"

"I would like to quote a phrase said by one of the characters from Bebel: "If you would like to watch the life unfold, come over to our backyard - you'll have plenty to laugh from." He meant Isaac Babel"

"Savik Shuster: The experience in prison, 1968-70 - does it make a person stronger or does it traumatise him after all?"

"As they say... So that the effectiveness... becomes... at the end of the day... reachable!"

"I would like to say that in the end, our task should be, if we are speaking of metal, to process it to the highest depth so that we can trade with the most sophisticated products..."

"Speaking of the agriculture, we should at least stop selling grain but instead we should process it, for example, into meat or meat products."

"There is a certain plan with concrete measures of how to do this [to get out of the economic crisis - note]. I don't want to announce it just yet for one simple reason: I don't want my opponents to make a mockery of it. We know them too well."

"I'd rather go to prison for the third time rather than let the current government [of Yulia Tymoshenko] assume power. It would cost the country less for one person to suffer than for the whole country to suffer."

"(Speaking of the proposed increases of utility prices) I don't want to drop salt on the wound, as it already hurts"

"...in the words of our compatriot Pavel Bessmertny... Yanukovych meant Pavel Besposhchadny"

"(Referring to those assembled at a rally) Why are these morons not dispersing?"

"My task is to create a strategy for Ukraine until 2010."

"If we have worked for many years with Russia, then we had these rushed declarations - by the way, of Team Orange [Yushchenko - note] - that we're gonna change something, [create] some order... I'll say, it's not a balalaika: one stick and two strings do not make a country your personal thing."

"The best genocides of the country have assembled here... Yeah, and the gene pool, too."

"And then in 2003 there was a Ukraine-EU summit in Brussels, and just before that summit Romano Prodi from Ireland - you remember who he was - he said that Ukraine had no prospect of integration with the European Union..."

"I would like to tell all residents of Yalta that I know and remember that today we are celebrating 150 years of the literary works of Chekhov - a Ukrainian, (looks up in his notes) Russian writer. And, it would be more accurate to say - 150 years of this figure in world culture. I will absolutely sign an order to renovate the museum of Chekhov in 2010, so that we needn't be ashamed of it, so that when the residents of Ukraine and of other countries come to Yalta, come to Crimea, they could see the landmarks and the biography and the history of that beautiful poet. The famous poet Anton Chekhov. We'll do that."

"They are mistaken, people need an effective government that doesn't lie, that is always at the cutting edge. When the government is top notch, people feel the drive, they have the motivation, that's when life gets interesting... That's what people ask from the government."

"We've made a deal with Dmitry Anatolievich, we won't be talking about bad things, we'd rather do them instead."

"(Announcing Israel's decision to introduce visa-free travel for Ukrainians) This is the first swallow from Europe. The first country to have decided to abolish visas with Ukraine."

"(In Balaklia, Kharkiv Region) I hope that you, representatives of rural district, who have come here to Balaklava..."

"I have said some time ago that we are against the policy of double standards. I was speaking of Serbia... Or rather, the recognition of the independence of Montenegro, indepen... erm, Kosovo, the recognition of the independence of Kosovo. [...] By then it was already apparent that the conflicts on the territories with frozen conflicts will only become more acute. I can point to another prominent example, that of North Ossetia. (In these cases, Yanukovych meant Kosovo and South Ossetia, respectively)"

"I would like to raise a toast for you, for the veterans [of World War II]... (looks down to see his cup) Hey, Sasha, pour me [more] so that I don't have to feel ashamed."

"The twentieth anniversary of our independence is only an instant in historical terms, yet the roots of our statehood can be traced back thousands of years. Since ancient times, Ukraine has been developing a European spirit and culture, while cherishing the traditions of tolerance and inter-ethnic and intercultural harmony in our society. We believe that straightforward and frank dialogue based on universal values is the only way to find a common language in each country and in international relations alike. "Speech at the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly" (21 September 2011)"

"This slogAn - tun on... tun... tun on Ukraine for you - is the slogAn of our country's promo-campaign to Euro 2012. In order to tun Ukraine on, I would like to say that it is enough to see it with your own eyes at the time when in Kyiv, chestnuts will blossom. And when warm weather comes around, and in Ukrainian cities, women will start to undress. It is a wonder to see this beauty. (Yanukovych struggled to read the word "увімкнути", omitting the "м" all the time)"

"...the Unification Act between Ukrainian People's Republic and Ukrainian People's Republic..."

"The main resource we have at our disposal is trust and the understanding of the need to get over the temporary difficulties of the contagiousness of reform implementation. (Yanukovych said "зарази" instead of "заради", meaning "in order to")"

"By 1914, the tax will be lowered to 16%, just like we have already agreed."

"Serious steps to implement reforms have been undertaken, the land reform, the retirement reform, and those of healthcare, education and urban management have been started; the conditions for the development of businesses are being distorted, fight against corruption is underway... Note. "Спотворювати" means "distort", he meant "створювати" (create)."

"Speaking of Alcântara Space Center...that's why all of the space programs that we have, which is, among others, the construction of the space centre in Brazil... eh, in the space centre in Balkantaura"

"I am against the idea when we, so to say, throw someone behind the bars, which is the place where they would hide and flee from responsibility. We will surely find them, but they first have to return public money."

"I may say without exaggeration that this is a revolutionary approach; it is very painful, because this system of permission was the underpinning of the great bureaucratic system on all levels. And that democratic system, a corrupt one, it has been built for years and decades."

"It is important for me to feel that the barometer, which the business is, helps me understand whether the winds blow the right way or not."

"Our sacred duty is to overcome the shadows of the past, make new tragedies possible. Any encroachments on the peaceful future of Ukraine will meet with instant and resolute response..."

"And now, I wanted to tell everyone: "Welcome in Ukraine, welcome in Kyiv!""

"Be as happy as the sea of Monaco, as the spoil tips of Donbas!"